The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in Math. The lowest is 35% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Gavin Central Elementary School
Gavin Central Elementary School is a small school serving pre-K through fourth grade in Ingleside, a quiet, unincorporated lakeside community in Lake County about a short drive north of Chicago. The school has an enrollment split fairly evenly across its grade bands, with roughly equal cohorts in each year. The student body is mixed: about half the children are white, roughly a third are Hispanic, and the remainder are distributed among Black, Asian, and multiracial students. Free or reduced price lunch data was not available, so a parent may want to reach out to the school directly to understand the economic profile of the school community.
On state testing, the school shows uneven performance. In math, third graders achieved proficiency rates around the midline, while fourth graders fell notably lower. In English language arts, both tested grades showed proficiency in the lower range. Science testing data was suppressed by the state, typically due to small tested cohorts, so state proficiency there is not available. The school participates fully in state assessments, with near-universal or complete participation. Across the tested grades and subjects where data are available, Gavin Central's overall proficiency sits below the midpoint when compared to other districts in Lake County. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, asking about interventions, reading and math support programs, and the composition of instruction in both subjects.
The broader context here is that Gavin SD 37 serves a small part of Ingleside, a low-density, car-oriented lakeside settlement with no formal downtown. The community mixes older lake-cottage homes with modest infill development, and residents largely commute elsewhere for work, with the Metra station on the Milwaukee District North Line offering rail access to Chicago. The district brief found no major staffing changes, curriculum shifts, or tax referenda in recent years that would signal operational shifts.
Gavin Central is a straightforward neighborhood elementary school. It is not a magnet or charter school. It draws from a nearby residential area rather than a choice-based enrollment area. The housing market in the immediate zip code is moderately priced for the Chicago region, and the area has seen modest but steady year-over-year housing value growth. For families in Ingleside seeking a small, local elementary option, this school offers that footprint, but academic performance data suggest parents should ask pointed questions about instructional strategy and support systems, especially in reading and math.
See more original research from School Decision →